Garment hanger



Nov. 21, 1967 H. B. TILLERY ETAL 3,353,727

GARMENT HANGER Filed May 27, 1,965

QFIG.2

- INVENTORS.

'HUBERT B. TILLERY LUTHER D. Tl LERY 9 ATTORNEYS United States The present invention relates broadly to garment hangers and more particularly to such hangers being formed entirely from heavy paper or cardboard.

In business establishments devoted primarily to the cleaning and pressing of wearing apparel, such as coats, suits, dresses and the like, it is the customary practice to place the garment upon a hanger, after it has been cleaned and/or pressed, to facilitate its handling. The type of hanger that is used must not only be strong enough to adequately support the garment during the handling thereof but also be extremely low in cost, as such hangers usually move in a so-called one-way pattern, namely, from the proprietor to the customer. It is extremely rare indeed wherein a customer returns hangers that can be reused, by the proprietor, in the handling and delivery of cleaned and/ or pressed garments. In the greater majority of instances, the hanger, if of wire, has become bent or twisted, while paper or cardboard ones usually are mashed, torn or so weakened at some point as to preclude their re-use.

The necessity for utilizing a low-cost garment hanger does, in and of itself, eliminate the most commonly and best known type, namely, the wooden garment hanger, as its high initial cost prohibits its use in a business of the type as enumerated hereinabove. Thus, garment hangers formed from wire or paper are the types most commonly used at the present time by cleaning and pressing establishments. Such hangers are usually strong enough to adequately support the garment and yet are relatively low in initial cost so that the proprietor of such an establishment can usually supply hangers of this type. While the cost of a paper garment hanger is less than that of a wire garment hanger, it has been readily recognized that paper garment hangers lack the necessary strength and rigidity to adequately support a garment during the handling and delivery thereof. The manner of connecting the ends of a paper garment hanger by means of a metal supporting hook has usually created a weakened section or area in the hanger resulting in the hanger collapsing or bending and permitting the garment to fall off. It has also been found that paper garment hangers, of the prior art type, are usually formed from cardboard or heavy paper and have an arcuate shape in cross section. While such a configuration tends to provide a smooth surface for supporting a garment, it does not produce a structure that is rigid and not readily susceptible to being bent or mashed so that it is incapable of maintaining and supporting a garment thereon. Although the cost of manufacturing or producing a paper garment hanger is less than the cost of producing a wire or wooden hanger, the fact remains that a paper hanger is so susceptible to being torn, bent or mashed and thus limited in its usage that many cleaning and pressing establishments have resorted to the exclusive use of Wire hangers even though the cost of same is greater.

The garment hanger of the present invention is formed from paper tubing that is designed to afford strength and rigidity to the hanger, and as such, readily overcomes the various shortcomings and malfunctioning of the paper garment hangers of the prior art.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a relatively sturdy and rigid hanger formed from an endless paper tube for supporting a garment thereon.

Another object is to provide a garment hanger formed from a unitary piece of material and having in cross sec- Patent tion the appearance of two parallel contacting rigid tubular members or portions for supporting a garment thereon.

Another object is to provide a garment hanger formed from an endless paper tube which has in cross section the appearance of a pair of spaced-apart parallel tubular portions that are divided on one surface thereof by a central web to provide a rigid tubular appearing garment hanger.

A further object is to provide a garment hanger formed from a unitary piece of material with one part thereof having a smooth arcuate outer surface to provide a relatively broad area for supporting a garment without creases forming therein.

A still further object is to provide a garment hanger formed from a unitary piece of material with one portion thereof having a smooth arcuate surface overlying an undulating surface portion that is separated by a central web into two tube-like portions to provide a rigid, non-crushable garment hanger.

Another object is to form from a single piece of material a garment hanger having a smooth curved portion terminating in a pair of loops that are separated by the opposed parallel edge portions of said material to provide a rigid central web extending throughout the garment hanger.

Another object is to form from a single piece of material a garment hanger having a smooth curved portion that terminates in an undulating surface that has a partition interposed therein to impart strength and rigidity to said hanger.

Still another object is to form from a single piece of material a garment hanger having a smooth curved portion terminating in a pair of loops that are separated by the opposed parallel edge portions of said material whereby a coat may be supported on the curved portions and the pair of loops provide a relatively flat surface for supporting a pair of pants.

Still other objects are to provide a garment hanger that is formed from paper stock and which is rigid and not subject to being bent or deformed and which is economical of manufacture.

Other objects and advantages, more or less ancillary to the foregoing, in the manner in which all of the various ob ects are realized, will appear in the following description, which, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, sets forth the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing wherein the prefer-redembodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a garment hanger formed from paper stock in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a detailed view showing a hook or hanger member secured to the garment hanger of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of an end portion of the garment hanger of the present invention, the view being taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of a modified form of garment hanger embodying the present invention; and

FIGURE 5 is a detailed view of a modified garment hanger showing one form of securing the ends of the material together to form the garment hanger.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawing there is shown a garment hanger of conventional configuration that is formed from a unitary piece of material and includes a horizontal bottom or rod like portion 10 that terminates in curved or arcuate end segments or portions 12 from which extend upwardly the inclined shoulder portions or side members 14. The side members 14 have projecting inwardly at their upper ends a horizontal neck or top portion 16 which has clamped to the external surface thereof a supporting hook member 18.

The various components of the present garment hanger are all formed simultaneously, as a unit, from the same piece of material 20, FIGURE 3, which may be a relatively stiff material such as thick paper stock, cardboard or molded paper pulp. The material has applied to one face or surface thereof, which may be considered the inner surface or face of FIGURE 3, a suitable adhesive hinder or stiffening agent 22 that tends to aid in retaining the shape and configuration of the garment hanger during and subsequent to the forming operation. The unitary piece of material 20 may be initially formed into an endless band or loop by securing together the ends of said piece of material 20 so that said endless band or loop would have the appearance of a short vertically extending cylindrical member with the inner face thereof being coated with the adhesive binder or stiffening agent 22. The top and bottom edge portions 24 and 26 respectfully, FIGURE 3, of the cylindrical member are then bent or forced inwardly towards the center of said cylindrical member until said edge portions are brought into overlapping engagement with one another, FIGURE 3, where they will be retained due to the adhesive binder. The edge portions 24 and 26 are then forced radially outwardly towards what would be regarded as the central or middle part of the cylindrically shaped material 26. This outward movement of the edge portion 24 and 26 will result in the parts of said material, contiguous said edge portions, being formed into reverse bend or looped portions 28 and 30 that merge into loops or curved portions 32 and 34 which terminate in a continuous outer curved surface 36 that is of arcuate configuration in cross section, FIG- URE 3.

The unitary piece of material 20, while still in the form of an endless band or cylinder, but having the edge portions 24 and 26 and the loops 28-30 and 32-34 formed therein, is then placed in a suitable die or forming machine, not shown, so that heat and pressure may be applied thereto for the purpose of shaping said band of material into the configuration of the garment hanger shown in FIGURE 1. The garment hanger is removed from the die or forming machine and the supporting hook 18 is then fastened to the horizontal top portion 16 of the garment hanger. The hook 18 is formed from a single piece of wire and includes a vertically extending segment that terminates at its lower end into a pair of spaced parallel segments 38 and 40, FIGURE 2, that are connected by a web 42 and an arm 44, the latter having a free end that is looped about the vertically extending segment of the hook 18. The segments 38 and 40 are bent or curved to define a concaved surface that is adapted to extend across the edge portions 24-26 and loops or curved portions 32-34 of the material 20 so that by applying pressure to the web 42 and arm 44 by a suitable tool, not shown, the lower portion of the supporting hook 18 may be clamped to the curved surface 36 of the garment hanger in the manner as disclosed in FIGURES 1 and 2. The clamping or compressing of the lower portion of the supporting hook about the horizontal portion 16 of the garment hanger insures that the hook will not have or be susceptible to any rotative movement about said portion 16. Furthermore, by extending the segments 38 and 40 of the hook 18 under and across the lower or bottom surface of the horizontal portion 15 of the hanger, the weight of a garment will be transmitted from the portion 16 of the hanger to the various components of the lower end of the supporting hook 18 and thence to the hook and the member upon which it is in turn supported.

The edge portions 24- and 26 of the unitary piece of material 20, when disposed in coacting relationship with one another, as shown in FIGURE 3, tend to form in conjunction with the looped portions 28 and 30 an intermediate web or vertical partition 46 that extends throughout the entire garment hanger. The web or partition 46 is so positioned with respect to the curved surface 36 as to act as a support therefor and to aid in retaining the surface 36 in its initially formed position as defined by the loops 32 and 34. The loops 3234 define an undulating surface that has disposed therein the web or partition 46 so that when formed as a garment hanger, this surface becomes the upper surface of rod portion 10 of the hanger to provide a support for a pair of trousers. In addition to the web or partition 46, the adhesive binder or stiffening material 22 aids in retaining the hanger in a rigid and non-crushable condition and one which is not susceptible of being bent or twisted and thus readily capable of retaining its initial or original form for supporting a garment thereon.

The modified garment hanger as shown in FIGURE 4 is identical in all respects with the hanger illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 3 differing therefrom only in the addition of a paper overwrap Stl that is placed about the unitary piece of material 20 after it has been formed with the various loops 28 through 34 and prior to placing said material in the forming die to produce the garment hanger as shown in FIGURE 1. The use of the overwrap 50 with the hanger shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 not only results in an increase in the strength of the hanger in all directions by insuring the proper retention of the various loops, and partition 46 with respect to the outer curved surface 36 but also provides the hanger with a relatively smooth outer surface. In this manner, the upper surface of the horizontal bottom or rod like portion 10 of the garment hanger, instead of being defined by two loops 32-34 and web 46 is provided with a smooth and continuous surface that is relatively flat and thus fully capable of supporting a pair of pants or trousers thereon, and due to the relatively flat surface, insure the retention of said pants or trousers upon the hanger.

The modified garment hanger shown in FIGURE 5 is formed from paper stock or similar material in a type of operation that is commonly referred to as a straight line machine. In such an operation, one end of a piece of paper or suitable material is fed from an endless roll into a forming machine, not shown, so that the various loops and bends together with the outer curved surface 36 and the overlapping edge portions 2426 are formed in a tube like piece of material that is delivered or extruded from said forming machine. The tube-like material is severed into required lengths and then placed into a suitable die or forming machine so that said tube may be subjected to heat and pressure so as to shape said tube into the configuration of the garment hanger as shown in FIGURE 1 with the ends 54 and 56 of said piece of tube being dis posed in overlapping relation and defining the horizontal top portion 58 of the garment hanger. The overlapping ends 54 and 56 may have a suitable adhesive applied to their coacting surfaces to facilitate the joining of said ends to one another. The ends 54 and 56 are further retained in engagement with one another by means of the hook 18 which has the segments 38 and 40 together with the web 42 and arm 44 clamped to the horizontal portion 58 of the garment hanger, as shown in FIGURE 5, so that said ends are securely retained in overlapping relation.

Although the foregoing description is necessarily of a detailed character, in order that the invention may be completely set forth, it is to be understood that the specific terminology is not intended to be restrictive or confining and that various rearrangements of parts and modifications of detail may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention as herein claimed.

We claim:

1. A garment hanger consisting of a substantially triangular-shaped closed frame formed from a unitary piece of material comprising a body which in cross section has a curved outer surface having a pair of inwardly curved portions, each of said inwardly curved portions provided with a reverse bend portion having a web portion of said piece of material, said web having a free edge terminating in the plane containing the lower surfaces of the inwardly curved portions, said web portion and reverse bend portions being secured to the inner surface of said curved outer surface, said Web portion and reverse bend portions defining a partition arranged in a plane intermediate said inwardly curved portions and normal to said outer surface.

2. A garment hanger of the type as defined in claim 1 wherein said body is formed from paper and said inwardly curved portions and Web define an undulating inner surface for said body,

3. A garment hanger of the type as defined in claim 1 wherein the ends of said piece of material are secured together in overlapping relation and define the top portion of said triangular shaped frame.

4. A garment hanger of the type as defined in claim 1 wherein a supporting hook having a portion thereof bent to define a concave portion which is arranged to underlie a portion of the undulating surface of said body while engaging a portion of curved outer surface.

5. A garment hanger of the type as defined in claim 1 wherein said body is encased within a wrapper to increase the strength of said hanger while providing a smooth and continuous outer surface.

6. A garment hanger of the type as defined in claim 3 wherein a supporting hook having a portion thereof bent to define a concave portion which is aflixed to and partially encircling said overlapped ends.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,091,992 9/1937 Johnson 223-88 2,307,558 1/ 1943 Young 22388 2,334,370 11/1943 Young 223-88 2,510,043 5/1950 Tillery 223-88 2,510,044 5/ 1950 Tillery 22388 2,641,391 6/1953 Tillery 22388 2,392,022 1/1946 Young 22388 2,635,793 4/1953 Owen 223-87 FOREIGN PATENTS 60,181 3/1954 France.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

G. H. KRIZMANICH, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A GARMENT HANGER CONSISTING OF A SUBSTANTIALLY TRIANGULAR-SHAPED CLOSED FRAMED FROM A UNITARY PIECE OF MATERIAL COMPRISING A BODY WHICH IN CROSS SECTION HAS A CURVED OUTER SURFACE HAVING A PAIR OF INWARDLY CURVED PORTIONS, EACH OF SAID IN WARDLY CURVED PORTIONS PROVIDED WITH A REVERSE BEND PORTION HAVING A WEB PORTION OF SAID PIECE OF MATERIAL, SAID WEB HAVING A FREE EDGE TERMINATING IN THE PLANE CONTAINING THE LOWER SURFACES OF THE INWARDLY CURVED PORTIONS, SAID WEB PORTION AND REVERSE BEND PORTIONS BEING SECURED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID CURVED OUTER SURFACE, SAID WEB PORTION AND REVERSE BEND PORTIONS DEFINING A PARTITION ARRANGED IN A PLANE INTERMEDIATE SAID INWARDLY CURVED PORTIONS AND NORMAL TO SAID OUTER SURFACE. 